Traitor (2008)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Manu G

  
  The only person he can trust is himself. A very solid good movie surprisingly so. The story was amazing and very creative. It's intriguing and suspenseful with a combination of drama and espionage action. The leading role acting by Don Cheadle really was impressive. The… More
  The only person he can trust is himself. A very solid good movie surprisingly so. The story was amazing and very creative. It's intriguing and suspenseful with a combination of drama and espionage action. The leading role acting by Don Cheadle really was impressive. The direction and photography also is top-notch. One thing that's odd about this film: it has very strong statements which will please both liberals and conservatives, both devoutly religious folks and atheists. It pretty much covers the field. Highly recommended film, Enjoy! Samir Horn (Don Cheadle), a devout American Muslim, and a former U.S. Army Special Forces expert in explosives, has been mysteriously showing up on the FBI's radar for being in the area of terrorist bombings. FBI agent Roy Clayton (Guy Pearce) heads up a task force investigation to link Horn to these bombings. Clayton is able to question Horn after he was arrested in Yemen for attempting to sell explosives to an Islamic terrorist group. The terrorists break out of prison and take Horn with them. With the help of Max Archer (Neal McDonough), Clayton is able to link Horn to a bombing of an American Consulate in Nice, and a failed police raid to capture his top terrorist contact in London. Clayton has been pursuing Horn around the world and has tracked him to the United States. Clayton must capture Horn before he strikes his next target.

• Richard C

  
  it's okay, some good action scenes. C+

• jay n

  
  Three high quality actors Cheadle, Pearce and McDonough, who is wasted, in the service of an ordinary terrorist conspiracy thiller. Not terrible but nothing extraordinary either.

• Al S

  
  A brilliant, nail-biting, engaging, sizzling and explosive thriller. An ingenious spy game of the highest caliber. It's The Bourne Ultimatum meets Sleeper Cell with echos of 24. What an amazing dosage of action, drama, suspense and espionage. It's rich in character and… More
  A brilliant, nail-biting, engaging, sizzling and explosive thriller. An ingenious spy game of the highest caliber. It's The Bourne Ultimatum meets Sleeper Cell with echos of 24. What an amazing dosage of action, drama, suspense and espionage. It's rich in character and it's story. It has the suspense of a great novel and the explosive action of a blockbuster. A thrilling, riveting, powerful and magnificent film. A great movie that just rocks. A dazzling, exciting, well-crafted and superbly performed masterwork. A wickedly entertaining and breathtaking edge of your seat ride. It's an intelligent, thought-provoking, intensely dramatic and energetic spy thriller. It's laced with tension and suspense that will keep your heart racing every step of the way. It's so good it's scary. An excellent amount of powerhouse performances done by an extraordinary cast. Don Cheadle and Guy Pearce have never been better. Cheadle is electrifying, giving his best work since Hotel Rwanda. Pearce is outstanding. Jeff Daniels is brilliant.

• Lenny M

  
  Advertised as a Bourne type thriller but really was actually more about correcting false perceptions of a religion than a international thriller. I felt like I watched a different movie than what was advertised and that usually does not go well. Cheadle is alright, Pearce is… More
  Advertised as a Bourne type thriller but really was actually more about correcting false perceptions of a religion than a international thriller. I felt like I watched a different movie than what was advertised and that usually does not go well. Cheadle is alright, Pearce is boring as peanut butter with no nuts. Jeff Daniels is in this movie? Now that I watched this movie again knowing what it truly was about, I enjoyed it. But still no spectacular performances here. Great Climax.

• KJ P

  
  Better than I thought it was going to be! traitor has just enough of everything to keep you going!

• Dean !

  
  A good action thriller that seems to have gone under the radar? A great cast, with a good story that will keep you guessing. Feels similar to the likes of the Siege, Body of lies etc due to the main themes in the story. The action scenes are very good. So if you enjoy a well made… More
  A good action thriller that seems to have gone under the radar? A great cast, with a good story that will keep you guessing. Feels similar to the likes of the Siege, Body of lies etc due to the main themes in the story. The action scenes are very good. So if you enjoy a well made action/thriller this deserves a wider audience.

• Gordon A

  
  Pleasantly surprised by this superior B-movie terrorism thriller - all to plausible plot chills as you comprehend its implications for world security. The intelligent well informed script is aptly delivered by a cosmopolitan cast headed ably by Cheadle and Pearce. An overlooked gem.

• Roy G

  
  As a thriller, Traitor excels and feels especially relevant, considering the subject matter.

• paul s

  
  A thinking man's thriller that, while occasionally bowing to cliche (although an excellent turn is put in by Jeff Daniels as the CIA agent whose tool perhaps goes renegade), stays away from the usual Hollywood, 'let's blow everything up' school. Yes, there are… More
  A thinking man's thriller that, while occasionally bowing to cliche (although an excellent turn is put in by Jeff Daniels as the CIA agent whose tool perhaps goes renegade), stays away from the usual Hollywood, 'let's blow everything up' school. Yes, there are bombs exploding but they are plot points and not supposed to be "action"; said action comes from the charactor building aspects; the friendships and perhaps betrayals, and from wondering who is a traitor to whom. It was a delight to watch the FBI figure things out, while being kept in the dark by the CIA - a theme we've all seen a million times before, but here, once again, it is used more to drive the plot than BE the plot. Some have mentioned that Cheadle is not meant to be an "action" hero - well, this is NOT an action film, and if you were listening and paying attention at all (and really, this is the main theme of the film), Cheadle's Muslim charactor is anti-violence (there's a quote from the Koran about it being a sin to take another man's life - with the somewhat snide remark by the all too westernized opperative, that it also states in the Koran that you will be blessed by saving a life, so the two equal out - and it's a jihad after all, so all bets are off). Not a perfect film, as the wife thing was film misspent, and yet I was very much into finding out who was being unfaithful to whom, and even though the ending could be considered a waving of the American flag, it was fresh and exciting, and hopeful. Of course the tag was wasted film - it should have ended with Cheadle being shot after shooting the cell leaders and trying to save his friend.

• Josh L

  
  A more straightforward thriller about post 9/11 issues than Body of Lies was, but still an entertaining and occasionally smart film. Don Cheadle and Guy Pearce both gave effective performances.

• Dean M

  
  Really good action and thrills combine with succinet political messages, as well as the spiritual and racial red herrings masterfully dreamed up by writer and first-time director Jeffrey Nachmanoff in this adrenaline-charged movie.

• Derek D

  
  An interesting film with some great acting by Cheadle, Pearce and former Boomtown-D.A. McDonough, but didn't really stand out all that much. Jeff Daniels was a pleasant surprise, though.

• Derek A

  
  <i>Traitor</i> is a film that everyone should watch at least once in their lifetime. I'm not saying this for it's cinematic achievements, because at face value it's nothing special. Rather it sends an unconventional message that a lot of people (especially… More
  <i>Traitor</i> is a film that everyone should watch at least once in their lifetime. I'm not saying this for it's cinematic achievements, because at face value it's nothing special. Rather it sends an unconventional message that a lot of people (especially Christians and Americans) don't want to hear.<p><i>Traitor</i> is a high-octane terrorism spy movie that delivers on many different levels. At the surface, it's nothing more than a suspenseful roller coaster with some nice twists and turns that will keep you guessing till the climatic end. You can't help but to feel that you have seen this film before.<p>However, deep down the director, Jeff Nachmanoff, tackles a very controversial issue: he shows us how so-called "terrorism" is carried out by the other side. He very eloquently shows us how Muslims are effected, and he does an excellent job of arousing sympathy for Muslims during these trying times. Nachmanoff shows us the humane side of Muslims that many Americans never get to see... he even shows us that the unfortunate ones who get led into terrorist rings are merely the victims of radicals as well. He also clarifies one of our typical stereotypes: not all "Muslim terrorists" come in the form of heavy-bearded tan men.<p><b><i>Traitor</i> is one of the most eye-opening films I have seen a while.</b><p>I now see why Don Cheadle signed on for this role. He's a very respectable actor that is picky about his roles. He did a great job, along with the underrated Guy Pearce. Great performances all around.<p>This is a film that many people will only give average marks, but it deserves more attention than it is getting. It has good action with a witty climax. And you just might learn a thing or two about our Muslim friends, I know I did....

• Jani H

  
  "I'm not coming back. You have to forget about me. Just forget about me." Well, for starters, the acting is pretty wooden. I'm used to see Cheadle act with all of his heart but something was wrong here. His character is too mysterious and stays that way. Very… More
  "I'm not coming back. You have to forget about me. Just forget about me." Well, for starters, the acting is pretty wooden. I'm used to see Cheadle act with all of his heart but something was wrong here. His character is too mysterious and stays that way. Very little will be revealed about him. All in all, a decent performance but wanted and waited more of him. Guy Pearce, as the FBI agent, delivers the best performance of the film. "Traitor" doesn't know if it want's to be a thinking man's thriller or a Hollywood action movie. The action is lame so that leaves us to the conclusion that maybe it's thought provoking? In a way yes, but I'm pretty full of these muslim vs christian thrillers. It once again stereotypes muslims as infidel hating suicide bombers. "Traitor" doesn't take sides. It gives that decision to the viewer. It shows us both sides but brings nothing new to the genre.

• Khris N

  
  I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, and Im probably giving it more than it deserves. But its not your typical terrorist thriller, and who is really the bad guy? Despite a cracker of a storyline and some thrilling moments, this is an in depth look into the minds of who we call… More
  I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, and Im probably giving it more than it deserves. But its not your typical terrorist thriller, and who is really the bad guy? Despite a cracker of a storyline and some thrilling moments, this is an in depth look into the minds of who we call terrorists, and one man's mission to infiltrate and stop them, but because of his muslim faith and his strong moral character, can he really betray these men who identify him as their brother?? Its interesting to explore what goes through Cheadle's mind as he works both sides of the fence, with Guy Pearce and Neil McDonough pursuing him relentlessly, beliving him to have turned traitor to the United States. Cheadle's character is a storm of emotion, as his mind works overtime to come to grips with his job while careful not to blow his cover. Religion, morality and the cause of good are all evident, and its not a question of whoes the bad guy or good guy, but what you believe and how treat your fellow man. Its good to see some great points on some serious issues in the world today, and this film does deliver some great messages, though a not so great ending, and in the end people despite their differences must come to grip with the terms that we will all be different than each other... but as Cheadle's character is described, "he has seen so much death in his life that he has learned the value of human life." I think Don is a great actor, Ive never been disappointed with his performances... though ashamedly, I admit that I havnt seen his piece de resistance "Hotel Rawanda" but its a definite must see on my holiday movie list. Guy Pearce is also great, he's been on the down low of late, but this puts him back in the spotlight and he's a great talent. Travel over 3 continents, 4 nations as this game of cat and mouse, or literally, war, comes to a head with a near devestating final attack with a great twist at the end. Perhaps Im being overly generous, but terrorist flicks this year have been good to me, so Ill be good to them. And this is mainly due to the fact that I hold the actors in high regard, the rest of the movie wasn't really worth three stars, but hey, Im a nice guy. XD Watch this if you liked Vantage Point.

• Mister C

  
  A great throwback to the espionage thrillers of the 1970's("Three Days of the Condor";"The Parallex View","The Odessa File",and "Black Sunday")with Don Cheadle is another great peformance as a special operative working for a terrorist group… More
  A great throwback to the espionage thrillers of the 1970's("Three Days of the Condor";"The Parallex View","The Odessa File",and "Black Sunday")with Don Cheadle is another great peformance as a special operative working for a terrorist group who becomes the target of the CIA. With Guy Pearce as a southern drawl tough talking FBI agent.

• danny d

  
  this was a very good film. sort of a hybrid of the departed and the bourne series but not quite as good as either. the film shows the differences in the approaches to islam, spanning a fairly epic storyline across many national borders and stages of life for the main character.… More
  this was a very good film. sort of a hybrid of the departed and the bourne series but not quite as good as either. the film shows the differences in the approaches to islam, spanning a fairly epic storyline across many national borders and stages of life for the main character. cheadle is already one of my favorite actors out there, but this just adds to his greatness.

• Jason S

  
  A good movie about terrorism and the lengths some will go to to fight for what they believe is right. Cheadle is, as usual, perfect in the role and it's interesting to see him go through all the emotion that he has to deal with in the flick. A lot of the other actors stand out… More
  A good movie about terrorism and the lengths some will go to to fight for what they believe is right. Cheadle is, as usual, perfect in the role and it's interesting to see him go through all the emotion that he has to deal with in the flick. A lot of the other actors stand out as well in this movies that plays like a Bourne movie with aspects of The Departed. A solid ending was given but there were a few parts were the movie slowed a little and had me checking my watch...

• Bob O

  
  It's true, Don Cheadle is one of the more talented actors working today, sadly Traitor is nothing to cheer about and Cheadle's "talent" is stunted by pretentious directing and a boring screenplay. The dialogue was consistently akward and the story stumbles… More
  It's true, Don Cheadle is one of the more talented actors working today, sadly Traitor is nothing to cheer about and Cheadle's "talent" is stunted by pretentious directing and a boring screenplay. The dialogue was consistently akward and the story stumbles frequently on it's way to a mildly satsifying conclusion. It's like The Kingdom meets the Bourne Ultimatum except it's got no action and is not half as exciting as either. The characters frequently jump from country to country like they're playing Risk and get places so easily, I mean, is it that simple for the most wanted terrorist in the world to go from airport to airport through customs and all; and every trip is done without any concept of real time. It all rang false to me, sorry. The films just another terrorist movie with a political and social agenda, and like all the others this one isn't good either. Director Nachmanoff makes the whole issue seem as easy as Cheadle saying, can't we all just get along?

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